"I don’t care if it makes me look 'paranoid' or if they give me the side eye. You've gotta stay safe."

Angelica Martinez is the Latine Editorial Lead at BuzzFeed and covers a little bit of everything, from quizzes and true crime to celebrities and pop culture.

"In the UK, there is a code where you 'ask for [redacted]/is [redacted] working tonight?' to bar staff, waiting staff, security, the DJ, or anyone who is being paid to be in the premises. They can then whisk you away to safety, and arrange getting you out of the building into a taxi/Uber, and make sure any creep can’t leave until you are whisked away."

"My friends and I add three exclamation marks to our text if we need an out or are getting bad vibes. It could say, 'having a great time!!!' and they would know."

"I use Google Voice for anyone I meet on an app. It connects to a separate email account, and they also don't hear your full name on the voicemail message."

"Instead, wait a little bit, and then turn it on. This definitely applies to having a date you don't know too well drop you off/pick you up at home, or if you feel like they might've followed you back."

"Well, just the opposite happened. He totally creeped me out, even though he was probably harmless, but it made me feel super unsafe."

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"As soon as he went to the bathroom, I grabbed my jacket and bag and made a beeline for the subway station, and I was long gone before he came back."

"I always set an end time limit for the first couple of dates. Like 'I have movie plans with my sister at 8:00 p.m.,' so I cannot be cajoled into staying longer, and I can get out of them wanting to drive me somewhere.

"For the record, I am AFAB nonbinary and date women. Women can be creeps, too, and it's best to be safe around anyone new."

"Always tell them that you have somewhere to be after the date. It stops any expectation, gives you a definite out, and the bonus is if it IS going well and you want to stay, they’ll think you bailed on your other plans for them!"

Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.